Gas Prices rising again

[VetteOwner]

oh yes rangers will last, exploders will well explode...

maybe you should build some custom pedals so your wife can sit back further. lol cuz the way it makes it sound like she is within a foot of the airbag, which could kill her if it deploys at the usuall rate of 300 miles an hour right into her chest/stomach. they say there should be about a food distance between your body and the steering wheel, and you hands should be at 9 and 3. if thier at 10 and 2 like it used to be the airbag deploys so fast with so much energy it could break your arms or thumbs depending how you hold the wheel...but at 9 and 3 its off to the side and not so much over the airbag(so when your body jerks forward the airbag doest push your arms behind your head... its off to the sides.

but nowadays we have side curtan head restaring bags.. lol why dont we all just wear a marshmallow suit to drive so were safe all the time! instead of spending a few extra cents a year per person to teach them how to safely drive...

[Bill in Houston]

When we started believing that with enough worry, one could live forever.

[psyshack]

I hate to see fuel prices on the way back up. It really puts a stress on some folks. The wife and I can deal with it,,, no problem. Its kinda hard on our kids. Our youngest and her husband just bought a 04 Camry I4, 5MT and also have a old Tercel, AT. So they are set. The middle daughter has a Malibu I4, AT. I hope she picks up a Yaris or Fit sometime soon. Oldest daughter is back at home with the wife and I with two young children. She has lost everything. So she is driving around in our Rangerlaturd right now.

I don't feel bad for those that think they can only be seen in or drive a truck or suv. And have problems filling them up. They always seem to blame everybody but themselves for the mess they have found themselves in.

The recent increase in fuel cost around here has been due to the flooding in KS, OK and TX. No doubt about it. I was shocked that refinery, depot and other infrastructure was built in a flood plain. And I dont feel sorry for folks that choose to live in flood plains. Never live in a valley or near a river when there is the side of a grade or the top of a hill near by. I will take the rain any day over the drought we have had the last two years. Its been storming this am. Very nice for the middle of July.... ( Ive come to hate summer )

It will be interesting to see what prices are this morning on my way into work. I still think $4.00 to $5.00 gas is possible this summer and early fall.

psy

[VXrunner]

I think part of the problem is that society wants to "idiot proof" the world which is reaking havoc on natural selection. Trying to make sure every last man woman child, and animal (in some cases) lives to be old and grey is just insanity, we're screwing with mother nature. And as far as gas prices go, i don't like it, i think we're getting screwed by both big oil and our govt. more can be done to increase mileage of the average vehicle. Most people won't trade the added driving time for a couple of bucks worth of gas, but we're not like those people that's why we're here. )

[Snax]

Hmm, if my calculation is correct that my equivalent MPG on the bike is about 700, my monthly commute of just over 100 miles will go from roughly $0.43 to $0.73 when prices go from $3 to $5 per gallon. I'll have to scale back to just a double shot in my morning latte I suppose.

I think I can handle that.

Ok, gloating over. My point is that I 100% agree with psy on this one. It will hurt people of lower income levels the most, but so many people have made poor vehicle purchase decisions that leave them a virtual slave to the oil companies. Aside from the cost of feeding myself, it's nice knowing just how much I have insulated myself from this trap as far as getting to work is concerned.

Improving fuel economy is about more than just getting more miles out of every gallon. It's about getting more use out of the miles driven. Carpool with just one person and you have effectively doubled your miles per gallon. Take a bus and it's a huge factor higher than that.

I know I'm being a bit of a jerk by saying this, but I DON'T care to hear people who commute 50-100 miles or more complain about the cost of fuel. So few people really need to do that if they were just willing to make an employment and or residence change. I live 2.5 miles from work because I planned it that way.

I know it's not always an easy thing to do, but it's something that most people really should be considering strongly before moving or changing employers. What if gas spikes to $10/gallon in the next year or two? How about $15? Rationing? Oh the humanity!

My children currently attend a public charter language immersion school which causes us to drive a few more miles, but if push comes to shove on gas prices, they'll be riding the county bus, or pedalling or walking their little butts to the regular elementary down the street. It's about compromise. Most people simply aren't willing when it comes to driving until forced into it.

[dieselbenz]

Originally Posted by Snax

I know I'm being a bit of a jerk by saying this, but I DON'T care to hear people who commute 50-100 miles or more complain about the cost of fuel. So few people really need to do that if they were just willing to make an employment and or residence change. I live 2.5 miles from work because I planned it that way.

[GasSavers_StanleyD]

Originally Posted by Snax

...I know I'm being a bit of a jerk by saying this, but I DON'T care to hear people who commute 50-100 miles or more complain about the cost of fuel. So few people really need to do that if they were just willing to make an employment and or residence change. I live 2.5 miles from work because I planned it that way. ...

Dont forget Snax that its not always that easy. I have an SUV (97 4Runner) that was getting close to 20mpg and then got hit with a long commute that starting to kil me when gas went up. I had only bought the SUV because I had gotten a really good deal on a really good reliable car. It has served me well for a while and its size came in handy MANY MANY times. But I had to buy my 98 Camry when I started getting shelled on gas. No SUV is an effiecient commuter car. But not everyone can afford to simply switch cars. Some of us have to simply deal with what we can get. If not for a sweet deal on the Camry (family member) I might still be crying about gas in the '97 4Runner. Cutting down commute is not easy either. Sometimes rents closer to work are a lot more money or you simply cant afford to move from your current 'not-very-expensive' deal that you have now.
I might be able to get a job elsewhere but the gas savings from a job location change might not be as high as the paycut I might suffer from changing jobs.
Its cool if you can be in control of all that we do but the truth is that its is rarely the case for many of us. Im glad that I was able to buy a Camry for FE- too bad that many others I know would have had to bite the bullet. I even considered public transportation until I discovered that it costs MORE than driving and adds well over an hour to my commute.
Im not happy with the price of gas but Im not crying. Im simply saying that many of us have little control. If it was up to me Id have the 4Runner for trips to stores, moving ect and a Prius for daily everyday driving. Too bad I cant afford a Prius right now. Ive been fuel conscious even before gas prices went up. Ive wanted Prius since last model years ago when I had short commute and gas was only $1.50/gal.
...With that said, some people are total idiots and dont think when they make decisions. They are too concerned with a cars towing capability when they dont even know what a tow-hitch is or they want a car with 500hp when they live in NYC with speed limits of 30mph. And others buy cars based on looks ect ect ect. I could go on and on. But many others simply dont have options like you and some of us. My two cents. Please excuse my rambling

[psyshack]

I wish the wife and I could get out of the long daily grinds we both do. Hers is 80 to 125 miles a day depending on what has to be done. And mine is much the same.

There are no jobs in the town we live in. The city fathers have seen to completely ruining the town money wise. So that leaves Tulsa. Great place to work. But living in the place or one of it's local burbs is out of the question.

So the daily drive will be the norm. Car pooling for the most part is out. I wont drive where the wife works off Lewis ave. I can see hwy 169 from my office window. And I wont live ultra urban or inner city.

psy

[Bubba Bob]

Originally Posted by theclencher

"I know I'm being a bit of a jerk by saying this, but I DON'T care to hear people who commute 50-100 miles or more complain about the cost of fuel."

Don't apologize for that- there's no "being a jerk" for not wanting to listen to stupid people's whining.

That's offly easy for someone that lives so close to work to say. Yall's close-minded mindset is ridiculas sometimes.

[brucepick]

I'm one of those people commuting 60 miles each way - but I'm not complaining.

Instead, I'm doing what I can to keep the commuting costs down. I hope to get this car up to about 35 mpg highway (summer), doing mods for what I like to call "lunch money" costs. And I still have the safety and reliability of the old Volvo. For us so far, it's the best route because this is the car I have. Wife has a nearly identical one without the mods and without hypermiling.